Last year, Governor Newsom solemnly pronounced that after expecting record breaking surpluses in 2020, the state was facing a $54 billion deficit. That number was daunting, and comparable to the budget shortfalls experienced at the onset of the Great Recession. That massive deficit never materialized. The Governor and his Department of Finance (DOF) didn’t lie…

February 19 marked the passage of the deadline for legislators to introduce bills for the 2021 session.  The Legislature struggled throughout 2020 to meet legislative deadlines.  With only a few hearing rooms large enough to allow social distancing, legislators were forced to conduct their business with fewer hearings.  Hundreds of bills failed to pass given…

This week, proponents of the effort to recall Governor Newsom announced that they have surpassed the 1.5 million signatures required to qualify the recall election.  They acknowledged, however, that more signatures are needed to ensure that there are enough verifiable signatures to qualify.

Last week, Governor Newsom unveiled his proposed $227 billion 2021-2022 budget. As the Governor noted himself, the last 12 months have been a financial roller coaster for the state.  Coming into 2020, the Governor enjoyed a large budget surplus and healthy reserves.  Soon after the state’s response to the pandemic intensified in March, revenues were…